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Lita Beattie worked as Head Chef/Kitchen Manager in a relationship the respondent treated inconsistently and left with significant wage arrears. The ERA had to determine employee status, unpaid entitlements and whether employer conduct forced her resignation.

Emma Baldwin returned to RJ Hospitality after parental leave to a dispute over rostered hours that had previously operated on a stable and regular basis. She challenged unilateral changes to that pattern and later claimed the breakdown of the relationship also amounted to dismissal.

Sophie Kennett resigned from Polygon GY Developments after a course of conduct she said was designed to force her out, in a context also involving a claimed redundancy and unpaid Holidays Act entitlements. The ERA examined the reality of the resignation rather than only its formal label.

Corrections dismissed prison officer Rakai Tawhiwhirangi for alleged unjustified use of force after an incident that also resulted in a criminal prosecution in which he was acquitted on self-defence grounds. The ERA examined the employer's independent investigation, the evidence available and the fairness of the serious-misconduct conclusion.

Rachel Hankins was employed by Huhtamaki Henderson on a fixed-term arrangement. Although the ERA accepted there was a valid basis for the fixed term itself, her employment was ended before the agreed expiry and the employer had to justify that early termination separately.

IRD dismissed ZZP for medical incapacity after a lengthy absence and failed return-to-work attempt. The ERA accepted the employer had allowed a reasonable recovery period and could treat later medical evidence cautiously, but the final decision introduced concerns ZZP had never been asked to address.

Nata Venceslau Dos Santos described a hostile workplace in which visa-related pressure, pay issues and deteriorating treatment preceded the end of employment. The ERA considered dismissal alongside wage arrears and minimum employment-standard breaches.

Traffica summarily dismissed foreman Selwyn McDonald on site after a heated exchange with a director. The ERA accepted that Mr McDonald made serious disrespectful comments with racial connotations, but he was given no chance to answer before being fired.